Nursing Homes With More Long-term Residents More Open to Nonpharmacologic Intervention

Nursing facilities with a higher proportion of long-term residents were more likely to implement a personalized music intervention for patients with dementia, according to a study of Medicaid-funded nursing homes in Virginia published in Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine.

“In short, there is a gap in the literature establishing the specific nursing facility characteristic(s) that lead to or limit the adoption of nonpharmacologic interventions, specifically a personalized music intervention,” researchers wrote. “This present study aims to bridge the gap by examining characteristics of nursing facilities that are associated with their staff’s willingness to implement a personalized music intervention for residents living with dementia.”

The study compared characteristics of 59 nursing facilities in Virginia that agreed to implement the Music & Memory program and 216 nursing facilities in the state that opted not to or showed no interest in the intervention. Music & Memory helps residents create and then listen to personalized playlists of favorite songs for 30 minutes twice or more a week.

According to the findings, facilities willing to participate in the nonpharmacologic intervention were more likely to have lower rehospitalization rates, Alzheimer disease or other special care units, a lower number of licensed practical nurse (LPN) hours per resident day, and higher occupancy compared with nonparticipating facilities.

“While this finding might appear counterintuitive, higher occupancy rates generally indicate that a facility has greater resources and higher quality of care,” researchers wrote.

Participating facilities also had a lower proportion of residents supported primarily by Medicare and lower successful discharge rates to the community, both of which suggest more long-term residents, researchers noted.

“The presence of an Alzheimer’s disease unit, lower LPN staffing, and higher bed occupancy rates suggest a busy work environment,” researchers wrote. “In such settings, a personalized music intervention might be perceived as a useful tool to adopt given its wide and effective use among people with dementia and its reported efficacy in improving residents’ mood and behaviors.”

Reference:
Inoue M, Li MH, Layman S, Tompkins CJ, Ihara ES. Characteristics of nursing facilities and staff willingness to implement a non-pharmacological intervention. Gerontol Geriatr Med. Published online December 23, 2022. doi:10.1177/23337214221146410